My Mirror, my Sword and Shield
by Hotch Fan
Summary: [AU Batman/Iron Man Crosover] Tony Stark needs a bodyguard. Pepper Potts gets him a bodyguard. Bruce Wayne is that bodyguard. Spoiler Alert: Neither is really happy with the results. At least not yet. [Tony Stark/Bruce Wayne Developing Relationship]
1. Arguing Pepper

**I know what you all are thinking. Why am I starting yet another fic? Especially when it takes me _forever_ to update the ones I have already up? The answer is simple: you can blame my too creative and obsessive brain, and S_tarkind_ for all the cheering and just being generally awesome after I mentioned this plot bunny. Seriously, if it wasn't for _Starkind_ and her constant support, you wouldn't be seeing any of this anytime soon.**

**So, yeah. Any comment or constructive criticism are more than welcome and very much appreciated. Enjoy!**

**********I don't owe ****The Dark Knight trilogy, Iron Man **or any of its characters, sadly.

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**OoOoO**

**Title: My Mirror, my Sword and Shield.**

"Yeah, no."

Pepper sighed; having to remind herself yet again she was here because she actually _liked_ her boss and wanted him to stay alive. It was very hard to remember that when she had him to blame for her constant headaches. She could already feel another one coming on. "_Tony-_"

"I'm a big guy, Pep. I escaped from that god forsaken cave by myself and got help, didn't I? I don't need some over-muscled brainless macho following me around like a lost puppy. And that's the end of that." Tony dismissed without even taking his eyes away from his STARK pad.

"This isn't a game, Tony. The threats are getting more serious every time."

The firm tone in her voice made Tony lift his eyes to look at her. "You shouldn't worry too much, Pep. They had the chance to kill me and they blew it. Now they're just trying to intimidate me because their endless supply of badass weapons is about to be cut off." Pepper gave him a dubious look. "The reason behind the threats may be new, but this isn't even my first time, you know. They'll get bored of the whole "We are going to dismember you, limb by limb and put your head on a stick" at some point. Trust me. Besides, you have to admit some of their threats were pretty _creative_."

Pepper pinned Tony down with a hard glare, hands clenching tightly around the arms of her chair. "Stop that. Just- _stop_."

Tony opened his mouth to talk, but stopped at the sight of her quivering form. At this point he wasn't sure if it was anger or something else entirely.

"Do you think it's funny? Knowing there are people out there that want you dead. You were _shot at_ just four days ago. You may have been uninjured, but Happy was shot. Do you find that funny?"

Tony averted his gaze, brow furrowed slightly as he glared down at the desk. It hadn't been serious; just a shot in the shoulder. But that didn't change the fact he knew that the bullet had been meant for him.

"Security has intercepted half a dozen of people that had somehow managed to infiltrate the company. That without mentioning the several hacking attempts that have been thwarted." Pepper stopped to take a breath, gaze never leaving Tony's face. "You know I support your decision to change the direction of the company. It may be insane, but I do. But you need to start treating this seriously, Tony. For once in your life, you need to act like a _damn adult_."

"You want me to act like an adult? Fine! As an adult, I can tell you there isn't a _damn_ thing I can do to stop this. Unless you want me to keep giving them the tools to kill people, in which case we should make _another_ press conference and give them our number so we can negotiate a better deal."

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Pepper's furrowed brow relaxed as she sighed softly. "I told you before I'm with you on this, but I need you to try to understand what I'm telling you."

Tony leaned back in his chair, fingers tightening around his STARK pad. "You think I don't understand? I do. Perfectly. I understand this so well that I know locking myself at home, or curling into a ball on the floor and cry isn't going to help me. Just like neither would a bodyguard."

"You don't know-"

"I damn well do! It's _my_ life on the line here. I think that gives me the right to decide what to do, and I don't need or want a damn bodyguard." That wasn't enough. He could already see the protest forming on her lips. "Or what? You think that just because you're going to put at risk the life of someone you don't know that makes it okay?"

The words made Pepper flinch, just like Tony had intended, but she didn't back down. Without saying a word, she met his gaze steadily; assessing blue eyes meeting hard brown ones.

It was Tony who looked away first. The movement was seemingly casual, but Pepper knew better. She would have stopped working for Tony within weeks if she hadn't found out there was more to him than what he made the word believe. Even more than what _he_ believed himself.

"It wasn't a request. I already got in touch with a security company and they've assigned you a security detail. You're meeting with your personal bodyguard tomorrow."

Tony blinked, watching Pepper reach for her Smartphone on the desk before rising from the chair. "You do know I'm the boss, right?"

Pepper stopped at the door, hand on the knob. She took a deep breath, whispering without turning around, "You may not care if you get hurt- or killed, but there are people who do."

**OoOoO**

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**a/n: So, what do you think? Would you guys be interested in seeing any more of this little fic? Let me know! Some of you may wonder why would Iron Man need a bodyguard, and the answer is he isn't Iron Man yet, and wouldn't be for a little while. In this AU, Tony _will_ work in creating the suit, but his main concern will be the company, contrary to what happened in IM, so the suit wouldn't be done quite so fast. ****  
**

**This is going to be kind of a serie of snapshots of different moments between them rather than a serialized story. They would be posted in order and the fic as a whole will have some plot, just, the chapters wouldn't be continuous if that makes any sense. Anyway, ****Bruce will be ****making an appearance in the next chapter, naturally, and I can tell you right now the meeting between these two isn't going to be pretty. So wait for it!**

**As all of my fics, this is unbetaed and I'm not native speaker, so please feel free to point out any mistakes.**

**The title was taken from the song "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay.**


	2. Meeting Bruce

**Thanks so much to everyone reading, reviewing, following and favoriting this fic. You guys rock!**

**Now, I got a comment on one of my other fics the other day, suggesting I should move my fic to the Batman or Iron Man main pages in order to get more people's attention, since the crossover category isn't all that popular. After some thinking I decided to give it a shot, so that's why I've moved this to the Iron Man section. I know this may be annoying to you all, and I don't want to keep shifting this fic around, so the next chapter would be posted in the Dark Knight trilogy category, and after that, it would be back to the crossover section. So make sure you follow this if you want to keep up with it. Thanks again, and sorry for the ****inconveniences.**

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**OoOoO**

**Chapter II: Meeting Bruce.**

Tony leaned back in his chair as the other man stepped into his office. He didn't even try to be subtle as he eyed him from head to toe, gaze deliberately lingering a bit too long in certain ... areas. If he was being forced to go along with this crap, he would make _damn_ sure everyone involved would be a lot more annoyed than him. Starting with the man in front of him.

Tall, dark, and handsome. And dangerous. That was Tony's first thought as he laid eyes on the man. Bruce Wayne.

He took in the broad shoulders, the short dark brown hair and piercing hazel eyes. The dark suit and tie, while not anywhere near Tony's expertly tailored suits and expensive ties, looked pretty good in the man's body. All in all, the man was more than _fine_ and Tony had to wonder if getting him a hot bodyguard had been top priority in Pepper's evil schemes while searching for one. If it was, he had to give her points for that.

Bruce could feel Stark's eyes on him as soon as he put a foot in the man's office. He hid his annoyance behind a blank mask, focusing on his surroundings instead. His ability to keep a cool head at all times and the tight control he keeps over his emotions was part of the reason he had been assigned to keep Tony Stark alive. _That_ and Alfred's unusually wicked sense of humor.

The first thing that flared a red flag was the floor-to-ceiling glass windows behind Stark's desk. The glass was bulletproof, he knew that, but nevertheless represented an unnecessary security risk for someone with as many threats as Stark had. But then again, according to the man's assistant, Stark wasn't thrilled with the idea of having a security detail, so perhaps he wasn't too concerned about his security.

Tony tapped a finger over his mouth as Wayne came to stand at the other side of his desk, gaze lowering to met Tony's eyes.

"Mr Stark. My name is Bruce Wayne. I've been assigned as your bodyguard." He said in a smooth, deep and a little bit of a sexy voice, face impassive as he extended a hand to him. With that voice, it was quite possible the man worked a sex phone line too.

Tony eyed the long, strong fingers for a second before waving a hand in dismissal of the offered hand. "Oh please sit down. I'll hate to have you towering all over me while we talk."

Bruce withdrew his hand and sat down without a word, not even a shift in his expression.

Elbows resting on the arms of his chair, Tony regarded the man for a moment. "So, you're my appointed babysitter, huh?"

"At your assistant's request, I was appointed as your personal bodyguard."

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Same difference." There hadn't been any notable changes in the man's face since he stepped in. "Pepper told me you're supposed to be one of the best in the company you work at. At least according to your boss."

"I'm good at my job."

The words were spoken in a short, calm tone. There was no bluff at the words, but neither modesty. Just the simple statement of a fact. _Interesting_.

"Well, Brucie- Can I call you Brucie? You can call me Tony if you want. No, scratch that. Call me Tony. Mr Stark makes me feel like I'm a step from the grave." Tony shuddered dramatically. "And really, with all the money your company is charging us, I sure as hell hope you're as _good_ as they say you are."

"Your assistant didn't raise any concerns regarding the amount that was presented to her." Wayne said, meeting Tony's eyes straight on. "However, I can assure you Mr Pennyworth would be willing to negotiate a more suitable agreement if you were to express your disagreement."

"I'll keep that in mind." _Damn it._ Wasn't there a way to annoy this man? Anyone else would have rolled his eyes and pointed to his huge company and his billions. True, the company's stocks hadn't fully recovered from its free fall after his little press conference, but he still had money. A _lot_ of it. Enough to still be one of the richest men alive. Fine, time to change tactics.

"I don't mean to be insulting or anything, but you don't look all that _threatening_ and bodyguard-like to me. Aren't bodyguards supposed to be all huge and scary? Like the monstrous bodyguard of the daughter of that crazy Arab cult leader, Al Gurd or something?"

Bruce recognized immediately he was talking about Talia and Ra's al Ghul. Ra's was the leader of a select and "mysterious" eco-terrorist group referred to as the League of Shadows. It was an extremist group, labeled by some people as a cult because of the secretive manner in which it operated. Their real purpose and harsh actions were unknown to the general population, as was any information on Ra's, given the influential people covering for him.

He turned his attention back to the annoying man before him, waiting for his reaction.

"Our company doesn't hire personal on the basis of physical size, _Mr Stark_. In our experience, is not possible to intimidate someone with the will and means to harm someone else if they so desire. Our job involves a thorough investigation to uncover the source of the threat and a permanent work in thwarting any attempts made against your life." Bruce paused, an idea forming in his head as he watched Stark tap his pen against the sleek, glass desk. "Of course, I can give you a demonstration of my skills if that would help ease your concerns in the matter."

Tony arched an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair and eyeing the man. This was getting very interesting suddenly. He loved it. "That sounds great. Let's do that."

Bruce rose from the chair, watching the billionaire do the same. Stark walked around to the front of the desk standing before him, a smug grin on his face. Bruce eyed the playboy critically. He knew what he was about to do would earn him a stern lecture from Alfred -if the older man ever found out- but it would be _so_ worth it anyway.

Before Tony could fully understand what was happening Wayne closed the short distance between them, and with a series of coordinate, too-fast-for-the-eye-to-follow super ninja moves lay him-not so gently-on the floor. He blinked up at Wayne, who was looming over him casually, arms crossed against his chest and simply put, looking as if he hadn't moved at all.

"Okay, you've made your point. But I don't think that attack your possible future employer is a very smart move."

For a second, Bruce considered offering Stark a hand to stand up, but in the end decided against it, watching Stark slowly get to his feet, the brief sense of satisfaction giving way to amusement. He made sure to keep his expression blank. "I can assure you that _was not_ an attack, Mr Stark. I was merely addressing your concerns about my qualification. And I have already been hired."

"I could fire you, you know."

"I was hired by your assistant, Miss Potts. Technically she's my employer, not you."

Tony cocked his head, a smirk forming on his lips as he leaned against the side of his desk. "_My_ assistant, which makes her _my_ employee, which makes me _her_ boss. So technically, _I_ can fire you if I want to."

"Are you going to fire me then?" Bruce questioned with an eyebrow arched.

"No," Tony admitted after a moment, brown eyes gleaming. "At least not yet. I'd _love_ to see what else you can do."

**OoOoO**

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**a/n: Yep, one of them was bound to end on the floor- who am I kidding? _Tony_ was bound to end on the floor in the first meeting. Bruce is the one with the training after all. As I'm sure you can already guess, Alfred is the owner/founder of the security company where Bruce works (yet another twist in the employer/employee relationship, I know. Coffee shop AU, anyone?), and likes to make his life a bit difficult. Or at least that's what Bruce thinks. They love each other anyway. In a _non-romantic_ way, of course. **

**Of course, you can expect Tony's payback in the next chapter, or at least part of it, because of course he isn't going to let this go. Have I mentioned Tony would be meeting his security detail then? lol! I bet you can already imagine all the embarrassment Bruce is going to go through in the next chapter, which it's going to bring several Batman characters into the mix. It should be interesting.**

**Anyway, feel free to point out any mistake you may find.**


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